Two 1950s Classic Racers Dominated The Auctions At Villa Erba

RM Sotheby’s is the official auction house of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and this year marked its fifth successful Villa Erba sale with an impressive gross total of €19,798,085 ($22-million). Five vehicles achieved sale prices of over €1,000,000 and the two in particular that stole the show were both racing cars from the 1950s with fascinating histories.

The first was an original matching-numbers 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider, beautifully restored and certified by Ferrari Classiche. It’s one of just 13 Pininfarina Spiders built, chassis no. 0448 MD, and ended up being sold for €3,717,500 ($4,158,450). Its new owner will be eligible to take part in a number of historic concours and racing events with it, where they might well meet up with the car that achieved the second-highest price at the auction.

That car was a 1957 Porsche 550A Spyder, which has also undergone a full restoration and comes with a highly-documented history file, which no doubt helped it sell for €3,380,000 ($3,780,000) at the event. One of only 40 such cars built, chassis no. 550A-0121 competed in a number of events in its day both in Europe and Africa including the East African Safari Rally and the Mille Miglia. It has led a far less adventurous life since its restoration and has covered a mere 60 miles. Hopefully, it will rack up many more at future events.

The other cars that filled the remaining top sales spots were a 1965 Aston Martin Short-Chassis Volante at €1,805,000 ($2,019,232), a stunning 1955 Fiat 8V Coupé by Zagato, which went for €1,771,250 ($1,981,476), and a 1931 Bugatti Type 50 Roadster that secured €1,411,250 ($1,578,664).

Augustin Sabatié-Garat,RM Sotheby’s car specialist and the Villa Erba auction manager, said: “To achieve nearly €20 million in gross sales is a great result, and it’s testament to the high-quality cars that were on offer at Villa Erba. We have once again demonstrated that the best 1950s sports racing cars with strong provenance remain the most highly prized collector cars in this hobby-driven market, while cars such as the Aston Martin Volante and Fiat 8V Coupe demonstrate how the appeal of timeless design and low production numbers are key factors in driving demand among enthusiasts and collectors.”

Images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s